​U.S. News: Ohio State climbs in latest rankings

Institution is highest rated public university in Ohio

By: Amy MurrayPublished on September 09, 2015

Just weeks after The Ohio State University welcomed its most talented and diverse freshman class ever, U.S. News & World Report has named Ohio State the top public university in Ohio in its annual “America’s Best Colleges” rankings.

The university is 16 among the nation’s best public universities in rankings released today. It’s an improvement from last year, when Ohio State was ranked 18 among publics. Among all 200 institutions rated, both public and private, Ohio State ranked 52 overall, up from 54 last year. The top 20 schools in the rankings are private.

This year, in a new ranking of online degree programs, Ohio State was rated 8 (7 among publics) among 147 schools with online programs.

In addition, Ohio State is recognized for offering several programs that help students succeed, including a First-Year Experience, Learning Communities and Undergraduate Research. The programs have been honored each year as “stellar examples of each program type” since U.S. News began evaluating them in 2002.

“We're excited that our academic reputation continues to rise and we remain an outstanding and affordable education for future generations,” said Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake.

Ohio State’s strong support of veterans earned the university recognition as one of the top national Best College for Veterans for participation in federal initiatives that help veterans and active-duty service members pay for their degrees.

The survey also ranks undergraduate business and engineering programs. Among both public and private universities, the Fisher College of Business is rated 21 in the nation (11 among publics). Its logistics program is ranked 3 and operations management is ranked 7. Among Ph.D.-granting private and public universities, Ohio State’s College of Engineering is rated 27 (16 among publics) and its agricultural engineering program is ranked 10.

The U.S. News ranking follows recent recognition by Washington Monthly magazine, which ranked Ohio State 18 in its annual College Guide and Rankings based on institutions’ contributions to the public good.

USA Today and College Factual also ranked Ohio State 4 in its list of top colleges for veterans.